Your action will have consequences
by slothssassin
Summary: In this story, it will be YOU who makes the major decisions for Max Caulfied. So it's important that you read the story in the right order. Please use the drop-down-menu to navigate through the story! The story takes place after the events of the game and I actually kinda ignore the last episode. Like a lot of you guys do too, I guess :D
1. Part 1 - A night out

_Author's note: At the end of each chapter of this story, you'll have to make a decision. Please make sure you choose the correct chapter in the drop-down-menu, or you won't enjoy the story properly :) I will label the chapters clearly, for example: "Part 2a: Decision xyz" and "Part 2b: Decision abc". I hope you have fun reading and please tell me how you like the story :)_

 _What am I doing here?_ Max asked herself for the third time this evening. Blackwell was having another party to celebrate the upcoming holidays and the end of the term. No Vortex party at least, but still a party.  
 _I must have been out of mind when I decided to come…_

The Blackwell gym wasn't exactly looking like a gym anymore. It resembled a cheap bar or club; colourful lights shining in every corner, smelling of beer although it actually wasn't allowed in school. Whoever smuggled the booze into the gym had done a good job. No sign of the one who brought it, but more and more red plastic cups filled with beer. Sitting alone on a chair in the corner, Max was waiting for her friends to arrive. She had scanned the room for at least fifteen minutes now, without any sign of them.

 _God where are they?_ she thought and glanced down at her watch. Warren, Dana and even Kate assured her they would show up this night.  
 _I should have met them in front of the gym…_ Max scolded herself.

Watching the dancing crowd in the middle of the room, she felt even more alone. Well, at least it wasn't a Vortex Club party and nobody made fun of her so far.  
 _Always think positively, Caulfield._ Max had to smile.

Her eyes wandered through the hall and stopped at the sight of Victoria talking to Nathan Prescott.  
 _Great_ Max sighed.  
 _These assholes are having fun again and I'm sitting here like a total loser without any friends.  
_  
Although, when Max studied the pair for a longer time, it seemed like Nathan was absolutely not enjoying himself. It rather looked like Victoria was trying to discuss something serious, while he tried to get away from her.

 _I wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Perfect are arguing about…_ Max couldn't help but get up and walk towards them. She tried to hide herself in the crowd, but get close enough to hear what Victoria and Nathan were talking about.

"Fine!" she finally heard Victoria's angry voice after she managed not to get trampled by the group of dancing people.

"Well go then, Nate. I simply think it's time we talk about this, you know?"

"There is nothing to talk about, Victoria!" Nathan shouted back "Just leave me alone, for fucks sake." Max could see his face twitching with anger. He was pale and looked like he hadn't had a lot of sleep in the last few days. Nathan turned around and started to make his way through the group of people.

"Nate, please stay!" Victoria's voice sounded desperate.

Max could see her grabbing Nathan's arm but he simply shook her hand off and tossed her an angry look before walking away. Victoria seemed in shock, standing between the dancing people and trying not to get touched by anyone there. Then she too made her way through the crowd, and Max saw her entering the girl's bathroom in a hurry. She didn't know what to do. Victoria always bragged about how much she and Nathan got along, so why were they suddenly fighting? Max hesitated.  
 _What should I do now?_ she asked herself, while the dancing people constantly bumped into her.

 _Should I go after them?_ Curious as Max was, she decided to try and talk to them.  
 _If anything goes wrong, I can always rewind…_ she told herself.  
Her friends still hadn't arrived, so why not shorten the time with an interesting conversation? Max stood on the dancing floor, indecisive. She couldn't go after both of them. So who should she follow?

 _Follow Victoria or Follow Nathan._

 _Follow Victoria - Part 2a  
Follow Nathan - Part 2b_


	2. Part 2a - Follow Victoria

Max slowly made her way to the girl's bathroom.

 _Sometimes it's good when nobody gives a shit about you_ she thought  
 _Or I would have to stop and talk with all those guys.  
_  
Nobody even seemed to notice her as she squeezed herself through the crowd. Carefully, Max pushed the door to the bathroom open. With a sudden strange feeling, she remembered how she saved Chloe some time ago in a bathroom like this. As she closed the door, silence fell over the room. The music and voices were abruptly muffled. The stalls were empty, but Max heard someone sobbing in the corner of the room. There Victoria was, sitting on a bucket crying. Max stepped in front of her and didn't know what to say. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat.

"Uhm…Victoria? Are you alright?"

The blonde girl looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, her makeup ruined. Still, she smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah Max, I'm sitting here crying my eyes out because everything is _alright_."

"Sorry" Max apologised. "I know that was a stupid thing to ask"

She kneeled down and looked at Victoria. The queen bee wasn't fancy or cool or anything at the moment. Just a desperate young girl. Max felt a sudden wave of sympathy rush over her. Well Victoria was looking so miserable, it was hard not to.

"Can I help you somehow?" Max asked while trying to smile.

"No… not really". Victoria studied her, she appeared almost suspicious  
"I mean…Max I-you're always nice to me and I'm constantly bitching…so why would you want to help me."

"Never mind. That's not why you're crying anyways, is it?"

Victoria sniffed.  
"It's because Nathan is an asshole."

"What did he do?" Max felt uneasy. Whatever it was, if Nathan was involved, it must be bad.

"Well it's not what he did. It's more what he didn't do. I mean, he… well it was like-"

"Victoria" Max interrupted her "Calm down. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Ugh Max… Why are you so nosy? It's just that I made a mistake and I wanted to talk to him but he obviously didn't want to so…"

"What did you do?" Max asked hastily, ignoring that she was just being even nosier. Victoria sighed. She clearly felt rather unsettled, but when she spoke, her voice was steady.

"I kinda… well, you know Nate's my best friend and we really spend a lot of time together. And there was this moment last time we did, you know, a really perfect moment and I somehow… Well I… I kissed him, Max." Victoria looked desperately into Max's eyes.

"You kissed him?" Max was thunderstruck. She had expected something totally different.

"Yeah I did, and if you ever tell someone I swear, I'll shove your selfies down your throat!"

There she was, the typical mean Victoria. But as fast as the girl got her claws out, she seemed to lose all her self-esteem again.

"Sorry Max" she said.  
"I just don't know what to do. I tried talking to Nathan maybe three times already about it, but he knows how to avoid me."

"So what's going to happen know?" Max asked "Do you want a real relationship, I mean, do you have a… a crush on him or something?"

"Ugh…Max I can't believe I'm talking to _you_ about my love life. Not even Taylor or Courtney know this…"

"So, that's a yes? You want Nathan as your boyfriend?" Max grinned.

"Yeah I think I really do. That's so fucking weird." Victoria put her head in her hands before speaking again.  
"Well, whatever, it doesn't matter anyways. Cause it seems like Nathan doesn't even want us to be friends anymore."

"Victoria, I'm sure I'm not the relationship- expert…" Max said, making Victoria even chuckle a bit.

"But I think you should give Nathan some time. You know, as far as I can tell, he's not the best at controlling his emotions… So maybe he's just a little confused."

"Yeah, you're probably right Max" she sighed

"I've just been chasing after him the last few days trying to convince him. He surely knows that I'm the best he can ever get here." She said in a tone of rising confidence. Victoria dried her eyes and got up from the bucket. Max stood up too and tried to reassure Victoria one last time.

"Just give him some time to think about it. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

Smiling, Victoria actually reached out and took her hand.

"Thanks Max. Seriously. I really needed someone to talk to, and you were there for me."

"Anyways, text me if you ever need to talk again Victoria" Max responded, before watching Victoria approach and open the bathroom door.

"Ciao" she remarked before turning around and leaving Max all alone. Max stayed in the bathroom for a while, collecting her thoughts before she too left the room. Hopefully all of this had now given her friends time to arrive. Deciding to wait outside of the gym, Max put on her jacket and went outdoors.

Max paced in front of the gym, still waiting for her friends to arrive. Her head swirled from the conversation she just had had with Victoria. It was bizarre, talking with her as they were something like friends, knowing a secret not even her closest allies had an idea of.

"Hey Mad Max"

Deep in thoughts, Max was startled by Warren's voice.  
He came closer, smiling and waving at her. Max pushed her most recent conversation with Victoria aside and smiled too.

"Finally" she said "I thought you'd never come."

"Oh come on Max, I would never leave you alone" Warren laughed.  
He was looking pretty good tonight, maybe because he wasn't wearing a science shirt for a change. They waited outside for a bit longer, chatting happily about games and movies, until Dana and Kate arrived. Going back inside the gym felt like entering a stove. More people were dancing, the air was hot and stuffy, and the Vortex Club members already looked wasted sitting together in a corner making noise louder than the music.

 _Gosh, is this really the right place to be now?_ Max asked herself.

But before she could start feeling weird, Dana had already dragged her on to the dance floor. It was fun, Max had to admit, although she never went to clubs or parties normally. She didn't even feel too embarrassed, "shaking her bony white ass" as Chloe would say. After a while, they all were sweaty and out of breath, but in great mood. They took a seat in the back of the gym and started to discuss vividly what they wanted to do in their holidays.

 _It's so awesome to see Kate smile again_ Max thought.

She had had some worries that Kate might not enjoy the party after all that happened to her. But as she watched her friend, Max didn't notice any sign of unhappiness. They were enjoying themselves, sharing some Nachos Warren bought, and making stupid jokes until Dana said goodbye to make late night visit to Trevor's room.

"Hey, how about we leave too?" Warren asked "We could go and watch a movie on my big screen TV"

"Wait what, that crappy old thing?" Max laughed.

"That would be pretty cool" Kate said, just as Max phone vibrated. New message from Victoria? Really?

 **Hi Max, just wanted to say thank you again. I can't believe I feel better now after we talked. Thanks, xoxo Victoria**

 _Xoxo from Victoria? WTF?_ Max smiled and watched Warren inhale the rest of the nachos. Just when they got up from their seats, she received another message, this time from Chloe.

 **Max, come here pls, I'm bored. You can stay overnight, Mom will make a shitload of breakfast.**

Max looked up from her phone. Warren and Kate were already waiting for her. She hadn't seen Chloe for a few days, but actually she had already agreed to spend the night with her Blackwell pals…

 _ **Visit Chloe** or **Stay with Warren and Kate**_

 _Visit Chloe - Part 3a  
Stay with Warren and Kate - Part 3b_


	3. Part 2b - Follow Nathan

_Ok Max, where did Nathan go?  
_  
Slowly, Max strolled through the people. She saw a lot of Vortex Club Members, having fun as usual but still no sign of Nathan.

 _Maybe he went outside…_ Max thought after a few minutes of her inconclusive search. She pushed the door open and took a few steps, dodging some clearly drunken teenagers who tried to make their way past Ms Grant; who was guarding the door tonight. Max walked slowly over the campus enjoying the fresh air. In the distance she noticed a lonely figure sitting on the stairs in front of the main entrance to Blackwell. Their red jacket seeming familiar.

"Hi Nathan" Max said as she came closer. He looked up, a cigarette glowing in his mouth.

"What do you want, Caulfield?"

"Uhm, nothing. I just wanted to say hi. What are you doing here?"

"Chilling" Nathan said. He sounded pretty wary.

"Okay, don't mind me." Max sat down next to him, feeling nervous somehow and trying to ignore the surprised look on his face. Suddenly, Nathan laughed.

"You're always trying to talk, man! Even with me."

He studied her with a skeptical look on his face. Max felt a shiver down her spine. Was it the cold or just Nathan? He made her feel a bit uneasy. Sitting closer to him now, Max noticed how tired he looked. Almost sick.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "I saw you and Victoria arguing."

"That is none of your business, Caufield" He answered gazing off absent-mindedly around campus.

"No I-I just thought-"

"You just thought you were going to talk about my feelings with me?" Nathan interrupted her. "Why are you girls always talking about feelings?"

He took another pull of his cigarette. Max didn't know how to answer. It was quite odd, sitting there with Nathan Prescott, chatting almost normally. He was now staring at the sky, blowing smoke from his nostrils. It was almost hypnotic to watch.

 _That would be a great shot!_ Max thought. But instead of taking out her camera, she tried to talk again.

"You really look stressed. And Victoria seemed to be totally upset, too. Aren't you two friends?"

Nathan eyed her and smiled wryly. Max tried to remember when he actually smiled at her the last time. Maybe, never?

"The thing is'" he started "Victoria doesn't want to be friends anymore."

"Oh…What happened?" Max asked. What could possibly be wrong between Mr and Mrs Perfect?  
Nathan shrugged his shoulders, suddenly looking uncomfortable. He sighed.

"Seems like she wants to be more than that now."

"Oh okay…" Max said under her breath, wondering how else to continue. It felt really strange having intimate conversations with Nathan like this. And also, to know that Victoria actually had feelings for someone besides herself. Nathan and Max both fell quiet for a moment.

"And… you don't want… I mean don't you want her to be more than a friend?" Max suddenly spurted awkwardly. She couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Honestly, no. I never saw her that way. I don't know… I don't even know why I'm telling you about any of this." He looked very serious now, a totally different boy than the fucked-up, drug-addicted teen Max normally saw him as.

"She just won't stop." He suddenly continued

"She constantly wants to talk about it. It's like she doesn't want to accept that I'm not interested in her."

"Well, have you told her so?" Max asked, feeling absolutely nosy again. Well, being nosy almost became routine for her.

"Not like that, no…" Nathan admitted after hesitating for a few moments. Max studied him. He seemed to be in need of some really good advice.

 _Max, the relationship-expert!_ she thought sarcastically before turning to Nathan.

"So, you should tell Victoria then. Don't try to avoid her. She'll be sad, of course, but at least she knows how things stand. You're just giving her hope by not saying anything."

"Oh what the fuck. You girls are so complicated" Nathan complained and Max had to giggle a bit.

"Just do it, Nathan" she laughed. "It'll be easier afterwards, trust me."

"Have you tried to tell your girlfriend Warren that you're not interested then?" Nathan grinned, waiting to see her reaction. Max blushed, completely taken aback.

"No! I mean… we're just friends" She explained.

"Well, that's what I thought about me and Vic, too."

Nathan fiddled with his pack of cigarettes

"But anyways, I think I should tell her tomorrow. It really might be for the best." He sighed again, glancing at Max and offering her a cigarette.

"Do you want one, Caul- Max?" he asked while lighting his second cigarette between his lips.

"No, thanks" Max said hurriedly "I don't smoke."

"Ha-ha, Max you're so cute" Nathan laughed and blew out a great amount of smoke.  
Max felt her heart beat quicken against her chest. Was he trying to flirt with her?

 _No, Caulfield. As if Nathan Prescott would try to hit on you_ she thought to herself. They both sat in silence for a long while.

"Well then. I'm gonna go inside now" Nathan said after the break, snubbing out his cigarette on the stone step.

"Alright" Max said and got up. "I'm going to look for my friends then."

Nathan got up, too. They both stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"So I…I'll see you around, Max" Nathan said slowly.

"Okay." Max turned around and waved. "Bye then."

Nathan gave her another smile before he started to stroll in the opposite direction.

Max paced in front of the gym, still waiting for her friends to arrive. Her head swirled from the conversation she just had had with Nathan. It was bizarre, talking with him as they were something like friends. Imagining him telling Victoria he's not interested and possibly breaking her heart the next day.

"Hey, Mad Max"

Deep in thought, Max was startled by Warren's voice.  
He came closer, smiling and waving at her. Max pushed her most recent conversation with Nathan aside and smiled too.

"Finally" she said. "I thought you'd never come."

"Oh come on Max, I would never leave you alone" Warren laughed.

He was looking pretty good tonight, maybe because he wasn't wearing a science shirt for a change. They waited outside for a bit longer, chatting happily about games and movies, until Dana and Kate arrived. Going back inside the gym felt like entering a stove. More people were dancing, the air was hot and stuffy, and the Vortex Club members already looked wasted sitting together in a corner making noise louder than the music.

 _Gosh, is this really the right place to be now?_ Max asked herself.

But before she could start feeling weird, Dana had already dragged her on to the dance floor. It was fun, Max had to admit, although she normally never went to clubs or parties. She didn't even feel too embarrassed "shaking her bony white ass" as Chloe would say. After a while they were all sweaty and out of breath, but in a great mood. They took a seat in the back of the gym and started to discuss vividly what they planned to do over their holidays.

 _It's so awesome to see Kate smiling_ _again_ Max thought.

She had had some worries that Kate might not enjoy the party after all that happened to her. But as she watched her friend, Max didn't notice any sign of unhappiness. They were enjoying themselves, sharing some nachos Warren bought and making stupid jokes until Dana said goodbye to make a late night visit to Trevor's room.

"Hey, how about we leave too?" Warren then asked

"We could go and watch a movie on my on my big screen TV"

"Wait what, that crappy old thing?" Max joked.

"That would be pretty cool"' Kate said, just as Max's phone vibrated. New message from Nathan? Really?

 **Yo Max THX but next time u take a cig 2**

 _A "thank you" from Nathan? WTF?_ Max smiled and watched Warren inhale the rest of the nachos. Just when they got up from their seats, Max received another message. This time from Chloe.

 **Max, come here pls, I'm bored. You can stay overnight, Mom will make a shitload of breakfast.**

Max looked up from her phone. Warren and Kate were already waiting for her. She hadn't seen Chloe for a few days, but she had already agreed to spend the night with her Blackwell pals…

 _ **Visit Chloe** or **Stay with Warren and Kate**_

 _Visit Chloe - Part 3a  
Stay with Warren and Kate - Part 3b_


	4. Part 3a - Visit Chloe

"I'm sorry guys" Max sighed  
"Chloe wants to see me."

The smiles on her friend's faces vanished.

"Oh no" Kate said gloomily.  
"But Max we're going to have a great time, for sure!"

"Come on Mad Max, you can go and visit Chloe tomorrow" Warren said desperately.

"I'm sorry, really. It just seems to be urgent and I haven't seen her in a while. Sorry!" Max truly felt sorry, even more for her recent lie, but still she turned around and started to go.  
"I'm sure you two will have fun without me!" she called and waved to her friends.

Warren shrugged his shoulders and they both said "Bye", looking disappointed.

 _That was so not ok…_ Max told herself making her way to the bus stop. She was sure she couldn't forget their sad faces for the rest of the evening. But Chloe was waiting and Max wanted to see her too. She took out her phone to text her friend back.

 **I'm on my way, the bus just arrived.**

While entering the bus, Max received an immediate response.

 **You better hurry.**

 **-** Did _you follow Victoria? Then read on until you see this sign:_ **#** _. Did you follow Nathan? Then start at this sign:_ **#** _. Both continue normally at this sign:_ **ÖÖÖ** **-**

Chuckling, Max took a seat in the back. Chloe must have glued her phone to her hand. The bus was almost empty, and Max was glad about it. It was a nice evening so far, but after seeing so many people at the party, the loud music and her unexpected conversation with Victoria, it felt good to be alone for some time. Max put in her headphones and browsed through the music on her phone. She chose "The Shins – Garden State" and closed her eyes, enjoying the tune.  
 _Should I text Victoria back?_ She suddenly asked herself.  
Victoria had been pretty nice, so Max felt like it would be rude if she didn't reply.

 **You can always text me if anything's wrong.**

She answered then, feeling like Victoria wasn't that bad at all. Max asked herself if Nathan really saw more in her than a friend though. She couldn't imagine him walking over the campus holding hands with Victoria. Or holding hands with anyone. Getting out of the bus and knocking on Chloe's door a few moments later, Max still was lost in her thoughts.

 **\- # -**

Chuckling, Max took a seat in the back. Chloe must have glued her phone to her hand. The bus was almost empty, and Max was glad about it. It was a nice evening so far, but after seeing so many people at the party, the loud music and her unexpected conversation with Nathan, it felt good to be alone for some time. Max put in her headphones and browsed through the music on her phone. She chose "The Shins – Garden State" and closed her eyes, enjoying the tune.  
 _Should I text Nathan back?_ She suddenly asked herself.  
He really seemed to have enjoyed their chat in some way. So why stop after that one conversation?

 **Haha we'll see :)  
**  
Right after answering, Max wondered if it was the right thing to write. Shouldn't she have said something cooler?  
 _Nathan must think I'm pretty lame_ she thought, feeling uneasy.  
 _But what else could I have wrote?_

Max was still thinking about Nathan and her stupid answer when she knocked on Chloe's door.

 **\- ÖÖÖ -**

"Max! You're finally here!" Chloe called, opening the door and hugging Max.  
"Gosh I missed you, you know?"

"Come on Chloe, we saw each other like three days ago" Max laughed.

They made their way up to Chloe's room. It was messy as always, and smelled so heavily like weed it made Max feel dizzy.

"So, is there something special why I should come here today?" Max asked, sitting down on the unmade bed.

"Nope, I just wanted to hang out with you" Chloe said, jumping on the bed next to Max.  
"Don't tell me you had better plans?" she watched Max defiantly.

"Uhm well…" Max hesitated.  
"I just met Warren and Kate at this Blackwell party and we wanted to watch a movie afterwards…"

"Ohoo, I bet they're having a lot of fun without you, if you know what I mean" Chloe laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. Max rolled her eyes.

"I don't think so, Chloe" she said and watched her friend's smile widen.

"Ohh Max don't be jelly, we can make out too!"

Blushing, Max thought about how to respond. Struggling for words, she just made Chloe laugh even harder.

"You haven't changed at all Max" she said and patted her on the thigh.

 _Chloe is so much cooler than I am…_ Max thought and got a bit pissed. It sucked to be that awkward and shy. She tried not to show her anger to Chloe, but of course, her friend already read the mood on her face.

"Hey, I didn't mean that as an insult, you know? I think you're an adorable person, Max."

Happy about the compliment, Max smiled.  
The rest of the evening was pretty nice, and although Warren texted her that he and Kate were missing her, Max felt sure she made a good decision with visiting Chloe. They spent half of the night talking, looking at old photographs and watching _Friends_ , until Max fell asleep, her head bumping on Chloe's shoulder.

The next morning, both of them were as hungry as wolves. Chloe hadn't exaggerated telling Max Joyce would make "a shitload of breakfast". The table was creaking under lots of pancakes, bacon and orange juice. The three of them had a lot of fun, but when David sat down on Joyce's side, Chloe's mood immediately changed.

"Morning Officer" she said with a fake smile on her face.  
"Already arrested someone today?"

"Stop saying that Chloe" David responded, sighing. He was hesitating for a moment, then he went on.  
"By the way, I know you hung out with that fricking drug dealer in his RV again."

"What the fuck, why would you know that?" Chloe's voice rose.

 _Does he mean Frank?_ Max asked herself.

"It's none of your concern. I just don't want you to meet with that creepy guy" David said, his tone getting harsher as well.

"God, I'm an adult, David. Why do you always know where I am? It's not your business if I'm meeting that 'creepy drug dealer' or not"

Max looked at Chloe, surprised. _So she's really meeting Frank or what?_ She was confused. Her friend was getting her rage on now.

"Last time you told me I shouldn't go to the junkyard. I want to know why you always know where I am going, David, for fucks sake. Have you planted a GPS tracker on me or what?" Chloe shouted.

Joyce was trying to say something, but David cut her off.

"And what if I did, Chloe? You're not safe around those people, I just want you to stay on the right and law-abiding path."

Chloe was now losing her temper completely.

"It's not your fucking business who I meet, David. I can't believe you're tracking me, that's sick, you know that? Just sick!"

"Chloe, please, keep your voice down!" Joyce said.  
"And David, do you really have a GPS tracker on her? It's really getting out of hand with your control addiction. I can't stand it anymore!"

"Jesus, David, what's wrong with you?" Chloe stood up, her face red from shouting. Joyce seemed to be near to tears now.

 _This is getting out of hand_ Max thought. She saw David trying to speak for himself, looking really sorry this time, but Chloe had started calling him names, getting louder and louder.  
 _I know he's not really that bad. He just seems to be trying to help Chloe, even if it's a strange way. Or is he going too far this time?_  
Max struggled for words. What should she say?

 **Calm Chloe** or **Accuse David**


	5. Part 3b - Stay with Kate and Warren

Deciding that Chloe could wait another night, Max turned to her friends.

"Let's go then" she said.

They made their way to Warren's room and discussed the important matter of which movie to watch. By the time they reached the boy's dorm, Warren had convinced Kate to take a shot at horror movies, while Max answered Chloe.

 **I'll drop by for breakfast tomorrow, okay? I have a date with Warren and Kate.**

Seconds later, Chloe's answer arrived.

 **Oh jeez Max, at least have a date with Warren** _ **alone.**_ **Great now I have nothing to do the whole evening. This is gonna be hella boring. Thanks. Well, see you tomorrow then. Enjoy your three-way deal.  
**  
Max gave an angry snort. Chloe got pissed so easily. Entering the room, she set her phone on silent and put it in her pocket.  
Warren's room was cozy, wonderful warm after their stroll over campus. The upcoming movie in her mind, Kate already snuggled down in a blanket, sitting very close to the wall on the bed. Max stood close to Warren, pretending to help him with their drinks.

"Let's just watch _Scary Movie_ or something similar" she said quietly.  
"I don't think Kate is ready to watch anything spookier than that."

Warren gave her a little smile and nodded.

"Kate, prepare yourself for a real shocker!" he said, tossing her a can of Coke.

"It's not going to be that bad, don't worry!" Max assured her, sitting down in the middle of the bed and opening her own can.

"Oh it's okay guys, I'm ready" Kate said, sounding a bit too light-hearted and giving them a shy smile.

Warren put the disk in the DVD player and flung himself on the bed next to Max, grinning at both of the girls before pressing start on the remote. They watched the first few minutes in total silence. Max glanced at her side and saw Kate pulling the blanket right under her eyes. Chuckling, she took a sip of her Coke. Warren leaned in towards Max and whispered in her ear. His breath touched her neck, and Max felt a shiver down her spine.

"I'm sure she'll laugh when she figures out it's actually just a parody"

Max turned her head, just a small bit, her face now very close to Warren's.

"As much as she's cuddling with that blanket, I don't think she'll even see the first ten minutes."

They both smiled at each other and Max quickly looked away. Fifteen minutes later, it turned out that neither Warren nor Max had been right: Kate was cuddled up in the corner, sleeping peacefully. She was even snoring lightly and it took her friends a great amount of self-control not to burst out in laughter.

"I'm glad she's okay again" Warren said, looking at Kate. Max agreed.

"I can't imagine how life here would be without her".

A few weeks had passed since Kate had been standing on the roof of the dorm. Max still was thankful that she had found the right words to calm her down. She didn't want to think about what could have happened on that day. Whenever Max remembered how she had failed to use her rewind up on that roof, she felt miserable. She must have shown her worries on her face, because Warren took her hand, squeezing it once tightly.

"Don't think about that Max. You saved her, and that's all that counts!" He let go of her hand abruptly, as if he had just realized he was holding it.  
"You're a great friend, you know? Nobody else cared about her."

Max blushed slightly and smiled. It felt pretty good hearing those compliments, even if Warren had told her a hundred times how proud he was. Still, she had nagging doubts about her rewind power. For her, it was pure luck that she had saved Kate from that roof. But what if her powers stopped working again in such a dreadful moment? Max looked up into Warren's eyes and realized that he would know about her rewind for months if she hadn't met Chloe.  
 _Why shouldn't I tell him now?_ She asked herself.  
 _But would he actually believe me? Maybe he'll think I'm crazy. Or maybe he'll get scared of me…  
_  
"What's wrong Max?" Warren interrupted her thoughts just moments before she wanted to speak. He looked concerned and Max changed her mind.

"Nothing" she said quickly and smiled.

They watched the rest of the movie, chatting about other things, while Kate slumbered undisturbed.  
It was about 1am when Warren put away the DVD, yawning and stretching his limbs.

"I'm glad we came here and watched that movie instead of staying at the party" he said and turned on the light.

"Yeah, me too" Max agreed and got up from the bed.  
"It was really fun!"

"True" Warren smiled.  
"Let's make a movie night again soon. We wanted to watch the _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, I bet you didn't forget!"

"Nope, I still remember" Max said, grinning.  
"I'll go and get the extended version, okay? And we can text about the day and time."

"Great!" Warren gave her a thumbs up and looked at Kate.  
"Now we just have to wake her up."

It took them almost five minutes until Kate was awake enough to leave the room. Still giggling, Max said goodbye to her friend when they arrived in the girl's dorm, crossed the hall and went inside her room. It had been a nice evening, and Max felt sure she had made the right decision with staying with her friends.  
She lied down on her bed and let her thoughts stray.

 **-** Did _you follow Victoria? Then read on until you see this sign:_ **#** _. Did you follow Nathan? Then start at this sign:_ **#** _. Both continue normally at this sign:_ **ÖÖÖ |**

Soon, she remembered her chat with Victoria, and the message she had sent her.  
 _Should I text back?_ She asked herself.  
Victoria had been pretty nice, so Max felt like being rude if she didn't reply.

 **You can always text me if anything's wrong.**

She answered then, feeling like Victoria wasn't that bad at all. Max asked herself if Nathan really saw more in her than a friend though. She couldn't imagine him walking over the campus holding hands with Victoria. Or holding hands with anyone.

 **\- # -**

Soon, she remembered her chat with Nathan, and the message he had sent her.  
 _Should I text back?_ She asked herself.  
Nathan really seemed to enjoy their chat in some way. So why stop after that one conversation?

 **Haha we'll see :)**

Right after answering, Max wondered if it was the right thing to write. Shouldn't she have said something cooler?  
 _Nathan must think I'm pretty lame_ she thought, feeling uneasy.  
 _But what else could I have wrote?  
_

 **\- ÖÖÖ -**

Still lost in her thoughts, Max fell asleep some time later.

The next morning, Max just took a quick shower and made her way to Chloe.  
Joyce opened the door, and when Max entered, she already saw her blue-haired friend gulping down bacon and eggs. Sitting down at the table, Max's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Someone's hungry" Joyce laughed and proceeded to pile up pancakes on their plates.

"So Max, how was your threesome?" Chloe mumbled through a mouth full of bacon. Max rolled her eyes, but had to laugh anyways.  
The three of them had a lot of fun, but when David sat down on Joyce's side, Chloe's mood immediately changed.

"Morning Officer" she said with a fake smile on her face.  
"Already arrested someone today?"

"Stop saying that Chloe" David responded, sighing. He was hesitating for a moment, then he went on.  
"By the way, I know you hung out with that fricking drug dealer in his RV again."

"What the fuck, why would you know that?" Chloe's voice rose.

 _Does he mean Frank?_ Max asked herself.

"You shouldn't care. I just don't want you to meet that creepy guy" David said, his tone getting harsher too.

"God, I'm an adult, David. Why do you always know where I am? It's not your business if I'm meeting that 'creepy drug dealer' or not"

Max looked at Chloe, surprised. _So she's really meeting Frank or what?_ She was confused. Her friend was getting her rage on now.

"Last time you told me I shouldn't go to the junkyard. I want to know why you always know where I'm staying, David, for fucks sake. Have you planted a GPS tracker on me or what?' Chloe shouted.

Joyce was trying to say something, but David cut her off.

"And what if, Chloe? You're not safe around those people, I just want you to stay on the right and law-abiding path"

Chloe was now losing her temper completely.

"It's not your fucking business who I meet, David. I can't believe you're tracking me, that's sick, you know that? Just sick!"

"Chloe, please, keep your voice down!" Joyce said.  
"And David, do you really have a GPS tracker on her? It's really getting out of hand with your control addiction. I can't stand it anymore!"

"Jesus, David, what's wrong with you?" Chloe stood up, her face red from shouting. Joyce seemed to be near to tears now.  
 _This is getting out of hand_ Max thought. She saw David trying to speak for himself, looking really sorry this time, but Chloe had started calling him names, getting louder and louder.  
 _I know he's not really that bad. He just seems to be trying to help Chloe, even if it's a strange way. Or is he going too far this time?_  
Max struggled for words. What should she say?

 **Calm Chloe** or **Accuse David**


End file.
